Envelope machine



Sept. 9, 1924. 1,507,863

' W. H. SHEPPARD ENVELOPE MACHINE Filed March 11, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 717R: 90% yfim/yg/w Sept. :9 1924. 1,507,863

w. H. SHEPPARD ENVELOPE MACHINE Filed March 11, 1921 a Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 9 1924.

1,507,863 w. H. SHEPPARD ENVELOPE MACHINE Filed March 11. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I WVENTUR: v w/d bilm 'Ko. X W

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Patented Sept. 9, 1924.

UNITED STA ES:

WILLIAM H. SHEPPARD, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SHEPPARD ENVELOPE COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, .A-GORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

ENVELOPE MACHINE.

Application filed March 11, 1921. SerialNo. 451,518.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, .VVILLIAM H. SHEP- PAPD, of Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, a

citizen of the United States, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Envelope Machines, of which the following is a specification. I

My improvement relates to the means for discharging the envelope from the folding box, which is especially useful in that class of machines in which the envelope is discharged laterally or edgewise from the box, as for example under the seal flap folder 5 as shown in Letters Patent 'No. 648,674,

dated May 1, 1900. I

In the machine of that patent the envelope is discharge horizontally'and is de-' livered to a driver located on lower level than the'foldi'ng box, shields or guides being provided outside the folding box to change the path of movement of the envelope from a horizontal to a more nearly vertical path. In amachine embodying my invention the rear edge of the envelope is lifted while in the box and the envelope is discharged therefrom in a direction at an angle to the bottom of the box. In this way the eject-1 ing means will surely engage the envelope.

to discharge it and there will be no danger of the folded envelope sticking to the folding bed because of the pressure of the folders or because of suction, etc, so that the jectors will ride over it, such as might be the case where the ejectors reciprocated in. a straight line across and in close proximity to the surface of the folding bed.

My invention will be understood by reference to the drawings in which it is shown in its preferred form. I

Figure 1 is a side elevation of mechanism embodying my invention, the folding box and table being in longitudinal section.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 3,

and

Fig. 3 is a plan.

In the patent above referred to, when the seal flap folder lifts after folding the envelope, the pusher slides the envelope out under the seal flap folder which is undercut for the purpose. v

In my improvement, the bed of the folding box is slotted to allow kickers to pass '17 connected by link 18 with the through it and'lift one edgeof the envelope so that i-t is held at an angle to the'bottom of the box and then push it under the seal flap folder.

Only-so much of an envelope machine of the plunger type is shown as is necessary to I explain my invention. l is a portion ofthat part-of the frame whichcarries the folding box, being the bed thereof. On the edge of the folding box PATENT" oFF cE. a

are mounted thefolders in the usual way,

two of which 3 and 4t are-shown without their mountings or operating mechanisms shaped arms mounted on a cross bar 7. The. cross bar 7 forms part of; a bell cranklever system 8, thelower end of whichis hinged to a rocking lever 9 pivoted below the fram 1 and operated by a cam 10 through the ca m lever 11 on shaft 12 and link 13 connected with the. arm 14 on sleeve 15 mounted on shaft 16 This sleeve 15 also carries an arm lever 9 preferably nearits middle. By this means'the kickers are lifted to lift of the folded envelope28. v I

The motion of the kickers is also con the edge rocking trolled by thecam19 through the cam lever 20 on shaft 12', which cam lever 20 is connected by link 21 with" an arm 22 on sleeve 23 also on shaft 16 Sleeve 23 also carries an arm 221 which is loosely connected (see Fig. 2) by a link 24 with a carriage 25 -run ning on rods 26mounted below the frame 1 so that the carriage is reciprocated from the cam 19. The carriage is connected by link 27 with the bell crank 8 between its angle and the connection of the rocking arm9 with link 18. By means of these two cams the" kickers are not only given an upward movement to lift the envelope 28, but-their upper ends are drawn back into a recess ll inthe folder, on reaching which they are pulled out from under the envelope through the opening under folder l, catching the envelope before it can fall onto the foldlng' bed after which they are returned to their original. position. See Fig. 1 where the movementsare indicated in dotted lines, the envelope being indicated at 28 in full and. dotted lines.

29 is a friction roll stop which guides the kickers in co-operation with the rear surface thereof. There are .two of these friction rolls, one for each kicker. One only is shown in the drawing.

The loose connection between the carriage and the rod 24 is shown in its preferred form in Fig. 2. A spring 30 suitably attached at one end to the rod 24 and at the other end to the carriage 25 keeps these parts normally in engagement, but allows a little delay in the return of the carriage to its normal position.

It will be noted that this construction allows the bed 2 to be in one piece, the slots 5 passing only partially across it thus allowing its outer edge to be unbroken, and giving it the usual continuous rim over which the folders will reach in their action of giving a sharp clean fold to the envelope.

It will also be noted that the motion of the kickers is at first a substantially vertical motion to lift the edge of the folded envelope after which they engage the edge of the envelope and are moved forward and down ward pushing the envelope over the edge of the bed and then while still in upright position being withdrawn to their original position.

In Fig. l the kickers are shown in full lines in thei'rposition during the folding chines of other kinds than envelope inachines, where a piece of work is to be moved from a bed or plate to another mechanism or receptacle.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a machine of the kind described, a folding mechanism comprising a bed having a solid edge, said bed having slots therein and means adapted to pass through said slots to engage the under side of the work and lift it off said bed and thereafter to engage the edge of said work and push it edgewise'oif said bed.

2. A machine of the kind described comprising a bed having a solid edge and slots passing through the body of said bed, means for ejecting work from said bed comprising kickers located in said slots and means whereby they are lifted substantially vertically through said slots near one edge thereof and then in a general horizontal direction across said bed and downward and back totheir original position.

3. In a machine of the kind described, a folding mechanism comprising a folding bed having slots therein, kickers adapted to move in said slots, and means for moving said kickers comprising cams and connections between said cams and said kickers whereby said kickers will be lifted to lift one edge of the folded work, then withdrawn from under the work and then moved across the face of the bed and returned downward to their first position.

4. In an envelope machine of the kind described, a folding mechanism comprising a slotted folding bed and folders, kickers normally located below said folding bed'and within its projected. area, and means for lift ing said kickersthroughthe slots in said bed to lift the folded envelope, then moving;

said kickers rearwardly from under the envelope to engage its lifted edge and then moving said kickers forward to eject the envelope from said bed and finally moving said kickers into their normal position.

WILLIAM H. SHEPPARD. 

